Let the Adventures Continue

How I am going to be a college freshman in less than two weeks is something that I simply cannot explain.  Nor can I explain how time can pass so quickly without our recognition.  All I know is that suddenly, we pause for a moment, we look back, and we stand in awe of all that has passed.  We embrace warm memories with those we love, we remember the pain and the darkness of some days, but we also recall how God was there through it all.  He never left our sides and He never will.

I had two amazing opportunities this summer:
1) I was able to spend twelve days in the Adirondacks with five other incoming college freshman.  It was an experience I hope to never forget. And in my nostalgia for the past and looking forward to the future, I got to rest in the wilderness for almost two weeks and process it all.
2) I also got the chance to serve in South Carolina with ten other students from my youth group and see God build leaders and work to show Pawley's Island His great love.  I want to be forever changed by this experience and remember all that God taught me in the south as well.

 

 

 

 

One thing that stands out the most from my time on the mountains, valleys, and everything in between is God's peace.  Even in the middle of the challenges, the anxiety, and the aches, I knew God was pushing me to trust Him and find rest for my soul and my body.  Some days the obstacles came in the form of physical challenges like climbing to the peak of a mountain that's 4600 feet above sea level, or facing fatigue while bushwhacking through the forest or working long days with tight schedules and trying to accomplish many goals.  Other days it was a battle with emotional hardships like anxiety, a heart full of thoughts about the past and the future, and wrestling with self worth and significance.  Sometimes it was hard to live in the moment and fully immerse myself in all that was going on around me.  But in trusting God, I saw just how much He provided for me. 


                              
 
I believe one of the greatest ways He provided was in bringing together and bonding His children. God built up communities that were willing to walk together by faith.  These communities loved Christ and loved each other.  They encouraged, supported, and challenged themselves.  They were full of grace-giving people who each brought their own gifts to the table and were not afraid to bring his or her own vulnerabilities too.  They saw long, pressing days, but they rested in God's strength and were blessed with some of the most breath-taking experiences along the way.  These communities were probably the best I could have asked for and God worked in and through them in amazing ways. 

I hope these communities remain bonded as we enter into this next phase of life, but I also hope they are able to take the lessons they have learned and share them with other communities.  Because in the end, we are all one body of Christ. 

We are all broken in places but God shines through the cracks and allows His love to pour from them.  God Himself is a community (Father, Spirit, Son) and He made us to walk this road together.  Brothers and sisters, know that you are loved and you are not alone.  We are his workmanship, created to do the works that He already has planned for us to do.  He has a plan for the good of those who love Him, even in the seasons that look like giant question marks to us.  He will use the challenges to grow us and make us more like Him. 


                                             

Let's allow Him to guide us through the challenges and shape us in His love.

Let's take risks and lead with others to fulfill our responsibilities to the Kingdom. 

Let's remember the death we deserve, but be forever changed by His grace and mercy that never ends.

Let's believe that God will use our brokenness and trials create something beautiful.

Let's keep learning and growing. 

Let's walk together with Him because we are not meant to do this all alone.

Let's let the adventures continue...